MFG Day Draws Record Student Crowd

Manufacturing took the spotlight today in Michigan's Great Southwest, but for a while it looked like a Hollywood premiere with all of smiling fresh young faces sporting sunglasses indoors. It's Manufacturing Day in our region and across the nation for that matter as the industrial sector continues to try to turn the tide and attract high school students into the skilled trades to fill gaps that are already prevalent with many more soon to be created. Because eye-protection is required inside the plants the students were visiting, they were provided with sunglasses to wear while on tour to protect themselves, and they got to keep the shades at the end of the day.

Team Kinexus was out in force in Berrien and Van Buren Counties today to showcase manufacturing careers to nearly 1,200 students at several factories and on the South Haven Campus of Lake Michigan College. Jeff Hannan is a Business Development Manager for Kinexus of Benton Harbor, one of the major hosts of Manufacturing Day locally. He tells me that 1,180 students were taking part in today's proceedings, 850 of them in Berrien County and the balance of some 370 in Van Buren County. The students came from 17 individual school districts in Berrien County.

The students found the welcome mat out at Kay Manufacturing Company and Eagle Technologies Group which sit side-by-side along Lake Shore Drive in the Shoreham neighborhood between St. Joseph and Stevensville. Those on the northern circuit in Van Buren County found the door open to them at Spencer Manufacturing and Riveer. Additionally, Kinexus lined up multiple exhibitors at stations inside several of the plants including the following:

The American Society for Quality
Berrien RESA
Edgewater Automation
First Robotics
Hanson Mold
Junior Achievement
Kruger Plastic Products
Lake Michigan College
Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center
Mosaic
Southwestern Michigan College
Southwest Michigan Mini-Maker Faire
Vickers Engineering
Gast Manufacturing
Great Lakes Belting & Supply Company
ICM Products
Lyons Industries
Rosta
Special-Lite
West Michigan Flocking

Hannan says the goal was to expose students throughout the region to manufacturing. He says, "We realize there's a large gap in retirements coming up, and we're really looking to fill that pipeline with students by exposing them to the manufacturing trades, proving to them that it's not the dirty, greasy, grimy job that a lot of people envision."

Cornerstone Alliance and Lake Michigan College served as event partners with Kinexus. Cornerstone President Rob Cleveland called the day, "A great opportunity for us to expose the future workforce to great opportunities and careers in the manufacturing industry." He adds, "Just today alone we've got a number of opportunities where kids have seen how they need to be able to have skills and use their hands — the physical skills to make things — and they've also experience the quality lab, the engineering team, and they understand that this is more than traditional learning. You've got to have calculus skills, reasoning skills, and it really shows them that there are a ton of options available for them even if they don't choose the traditional four-year college route."

Today's event marks the 4th Annual Manufacturing Day, and the local showcase is one of hundreds happening nationwide today to celebrate the industry that built America and put Michigan on the map.

There are 450 manufacturing businesses in Berrien, Cass and Van Buren Counties alone, and they account for 1 in 6 of all jobs that exist in the region. That's 17,630 manufacturing jobs in the tri-county area alone. They offer wage rates on average of $83,807 locally, even higher than the national average earnings in manufacturing where the number is $77,612.

Students today had the opportunity to circulate among the exhibitors, take guided tours of the manufacturing process at the local plants open to them today, and visit the Activity Center inside Eagle Technologies where they could learn how to solder, program 3-D printers, compete for prizes in a "build your own business" simulation exercise and more.

Kay Manufacturing showed students who they use cutting-edge processes to create high quality transmission components for the automotive industry, cranking out more than 30,000 flawless parts a day.

Eagle Technologies showcased their expertise in assembly, test, vision, robotics and materials handling systems for automation solutions.

In Van Buren County, Spencer Manufacturing showed students how they produce custom-manufactured fire and rescue apparatus and blueberry harvesting machines. Riveer, meanwhile, proved their expertise as a leader in environmental solutions for the equipment washing market.

The nearly 1,200 students today were also provided lunch and participated in a Kids Correspondent Corner in Berrien County while industry leaders conducted a morning roundtable discussion in Van Buren County. As for how it was all received, Hannan from Kinexus says, "The reaction I've seen today is the kids are really just fascinated by the robotics, the automation that is in today's manufacturing industry." He concludes, "I think it is truly giving them an option to consider, rather than the traditional four-year college role, that there are opportunities for apprenticeship programs and beyond for them as they finish their high school career."

Team Kinexus is a non-profit organization investing millions in funding each year in the tri-county region through integrated business, workforce, and community development.